FIFA 18 Runs at 60fps on Nintendo Switch, Docked and Portable

The definitive FIFA experience may be upon us soon. In a recent report we took a look at some direct feed FIFA 18 footage running on the Nintendo Switch, and I noted that the game appeared to be running at 60fps. Performance was consistent, with the exception of some random close-up scenes where the framerate is halved. During core gameplay, though, performance appeared to be rock-solid. Today we have confirmation that the game does indeed run at 60fps -- even in docked mode.

Supervising producer Andrei Lazarescu confirmed as much at Gamescom (via NintendoLife), saying: "We spent a lot of time actually understanding what the console is. In dock, what we're seeing right now, for example, is 1080p run running at 60 frames per second. When you plug out and you play in handheld it's 720p. We spent a lot of time making sure that transition happens seamlessly and you still get 60 frames per second."

This is the ideal. In a perfect world, all Nintendo Switch games would run at 1080p, 60fps while docked, and 720p, 60fps while in handheld mode. It's incredibly exciting to see that EA hit these benchmarks for one of the most important and best-selling sports series in the world. For many of you, this will secure the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA 18 as the definitive version, even if it is lacking the narrative single-player mode which, let's face it, is not the reason anyone buys a FIFA game.

It's also great news for Nintendo Switch owners in general, because it means that EA is making an earnest effort to properly optimize its games for the system. I'm sorry to say that I think most of us expected EA to off-load a half-baked version of FIFA on the Switch, relying on the brand alone, and hoping that it sold. Evidence to the contrary is a relief, and we're hoping this trend continues. Stay tuned.